Salad In A Jar

Meal Prep for the week with this simple formula & layering technique. Salads in tightly-sealed mason jars will stay fresh in the fridge for 4-5 days. Switch up your flavors by using leftovers and a different sauce to make new combinations: buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing, caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and noodles with greens. No Sad Desk Lunches here!

Use Quart-Sized Mason Jars

  1. Dressing First: Adding the moist layers on the bottom will keep the wet ingredients from getting your greens soggy.
  2. Chunky Ingredients: Pop in things like grains and meats. Ingredients that soak up the dressing are ideal for this layer. They’ll also help keep the dressing at the bottom since they’re denser.
  3. Sweet and Savory Fixings: All of the delightful toppings that make salads more than just a salad go in next. That means cheeses, nuts, dried fruit, scallions, and bacon bits. The meat and grain layer will prevent these ingredients from getting wet and, since these are usually dry, they won’t get the lettuce soggy either.
  4. Greens Last: Any kind of lettuce or greens go in last. Putting them at the top will keep them fresh and crisp.

For Greek Salad:

  1. Vinaigrette: store bought balsamic OR 2 parts red wine vinegar, 3 parts olive oil, 1 smidge of Dijon mustard, salt & pepper
  2. Chunky Ingredients: leftover grilled chicken, grain of your choice – brown rice or cooked pasta
  3. Savory Vegetables: celery, bite-sized zucchini pieces, Roma tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese
  4. Greens: Romaine lettuce, rinsed and dried, torn into bite-sized pieces.

Instructions:

Seal tightly with the lid. When you’re ready to eat, flip the salad into a bowl. Since you stacked the lettuce last, it’ll fall to the bottom and all the other ingredients will land on top, just as it would normally be when you serve a salad!

Source: FoodShareSC’s Culinary Medicine Kitchen